El Palenque Mexican Resturant & Cantina

This food makes me sick and I have tried it twice. They let the kids get totally out of control once the crowd starts thinning out. We were in there and five kids started doing cheers. Really, this is a restaurant!!! Spoke to management and they said there is nothing they can do. Won’t speak to the parents who don’t care and are buying the large Marquita’s so we left and after getting sick we won’t be back

Went here to have a big pre-​Christmas meal with friends (were going to be 12 of us plus a few kids). Walked in, was met with a wall of cigarette smoke, saw that they allowed smoking at the bar, and walked out and left for another restaurant. We spent nearly $ 300 at the other restaurant.
The place was open and dull. It smelled like cleaners and not like Mexican food. The restroom was clean, but the first stall was out of toilet paper, the second stall was gross.

Iam sorry but this place was a big dissapointment, our waiter Marcos the best, but this food is the worse I’ve tasted it. No taste, no flavor, should’ve gone to Los Cucos instead, best Mexican food near my house,. Trust me food not good, I had the Pollo Loco, beans rice, not good at all. Never coming back here again. Can’t believe this place still in business.

Excellent Pollo Loco and borracho beans, and I love the Margarita with a Corona. Only negative is that smoking is allowed. Gross.

Eating at El Palenque is a bit like taking your friend’s sister to the homecoming dance. She’s nice, and a perfectly enjoyable time is had by all — but it’s just not going anywhere, you know? Just because it’s convenient and competent doesn’t mean you should go there. I’ve eaten at EP many, many times, and it’s perfectly fine, but in my opinion there are better Tex-​Mex options in the area (Soto’s, El Tiempo, Del Pueblo). EP gets props for a better-​than-​average salsa that, on some nights, can be downright spicy (this is a good thing). Service is usually good as well. Again, EP is not a place to avoid — just not the best in this area.

Usually a good place. Prices went way up. Salsa very liquid, not much besides liquid. Waited over 30 minutes and couldn’t find waiter to ask where is our food. Finally got up and left. Will not go back.

Beef fajitas are really good! Service is good. Chicken al carbon tacos are okay not really that good but the beef are excellent. Sauces are okay the chip are decent. They definitely know how to make beef fajitas that’s for sure.

Where to begin… We were in the mood for some TexMex and thought we would try something new.
When we walked in all we could smell was cigarette smoke. Apparently the smoking section in the bar is not ventilated. Shortly thereafter my eyes started itching. It was worse than any bar I’ve ever been to.
The waiter was friendly.
The salsa not that great.
The food– bland. I had the tacos al carbon. My boyfriend had seafood enchiladas of some sort. Bleh.
Looking around at the other patrons, we were definitely overdressed. We were wearing jeans and sweater, others were there in pajama bottoms and house slippers. Kinda reminded me of the people of Walmart website lol quite trashy.
All in all, the best thing was the free ice cream cone we got on the way out lol
The prices aren’t any cheaper than El Tiempo, Lupe Tortilla, Papasitos, and hell even Los Cucos is much better.
So don’t waste your time going here. All the other mexican places in the area are much better.

Love this place! I had shrimp and crab enchiladas and my boyfriend had tamales. They were both delicious! The waiter was polite and attentive even though it was pretty busy. The queso, chips and salsa were also yummy! I highly recommend this mexican restaurant! Only downside is its a tad pricey.

Service is excellent. Food… good, but you can find better. However, that is not to say their food is bad, just keep in mind that «spicy» on the menu doesn’t translate to «spicy» in reality. Margaritas are great. Staff is awesome, especially after they get to know you. I would steer clear of the Chicken Diablo unless you have an unhealthy obsession with «queso fresco.» However, their Palenque Nacos and fajitas are almost always top-​notch. Margaritas are worth the money during «happy hour.»

Love this place… our favorite Mexican restaurant! Been coming here for years. Everyone is so friendly and we have NEVER had a meal that was below par. Everything is a great experience. Fun place to have a few drinks with some friends or bring the entire family for an outstanding meal. They have a new menu now, as well. Very good… Highly recommended!

This restaurant is one of the worst Mexican Restaurants I’ve ever been in the Houston Area.
–Their food is plane.
–They don’t tell you when a plate has a small version (to charge you the bigger portion so they can get more money out of your pockets).
–They take forever to serve your drinks and refill them.
–The waiter had the nerves to ask for more money because he was not happy with the tip left (only 10% left), so he requested for us to change the tip so «he could make more money».
Avoid this restaurant! Buyer Beware.

When I checked in here on Tues evening I said «This is the real deal» and it truly is. El Palenque is located in a strip mall and its décor screams chain restaurant. Nothing could be farther from the truth. EP has some authentic Mexican dishes as well as the old standards. I opted for the Mexican steak recommended by our server when I asked for something out of the ordinary. It was seasoned/​spiced perfectly and was accompanied by the usual avocado, rice and beans. The corn tortillas were their own, according to our server, and they were delicious. Back to the steak it was tender and spicy with a great grilled flavor. My dining companion had a shrimp enchilada dish that he customized. He stated a number of times that this was authentic Mexican food. We have both travelled to Mexico quite a few times so we have a good baseline regarding authentic Mexican fare as opposed to TexMex (which is OK as well). Service was great as we never lacked for water and we were checked on regularly. The manager came by twice as well. Complaints none!

Favorite place in the area with great drinks and great food. Plus who doesn’t like free ice cream.

I come here many time and we get the best Mexican food in town. You have to ask for Speedy, he is one of the best waiters that have. Now let’s talk food. They have daily specials till 3pm. I love the tacos al carbon, flautas, and the shrimp brouchet. The margaritas are the best. Go for the large you won’t be disappointed. Home made tortillas corn and flour.

Great place, great Margaritas, great prices, friendly staff .our waiter is awesome «speedy «fast services & great food.

This was my first time having lunch here. The food was very good as well as the service. They were able to accommodate a large party at short notice which was a plus for us. I would go back again.

Came in for a late lunch, sat at the bar. It wasn’t that busy and the service was slow. I only ordered tacos and it took forever. Plus it was a little pricey compared to other Mexican restaurants. You would think for more money you would get better service. The food wasn’t that special. It came late and the meat was way over cooked. It was like eating bits of char. I won’t be coming back.

Going to an average tasting Mexican restaurant in Texas just doesn’t make sense! Alas, that’s what El Palenque is… standard Mexican fare. I had the tamale plate and they tasted like frozen tamales… nothing special yet nothing that offends. You know exactly what to expect from these types of places. I would probably give them 3 stars, but they allow smoking… I told them I did not want a smoking section and I could still smell it.

The food was amazing! The service was even better… We traveled from Charlotte, NC and ate here, once the manager heard he came over to our table to ask about the food and chatted with us for a bit.
The place was clean, inviting and tastefully decorated. The margaritas were delicious and they had so many to choose from.
We ordered some lunch specials which were all brought out promptly. Everything was hot and wasn’t drenched in grease. Everything was perfect!
I’ll definitely return when I go back to Houston!